Delta Dental of Arkansas Blog

Something to Smile About: The Positives of Perfect Posture

Slouchy may be a good look for boots and boyfriend jeans, but it’s not a good look for your posture. Standing or sitting in the right position affects
more than your looks – it can impact your body and smile.
Posture may affect jaw alignment.

Poor posture can put harmful pressure on your jaw. When we slouch our bodies, the lower jaw is pushed forward. Over time, this causes our skull to sit back on our spinal column, which can cause our bite to be misaligned. If teeth aren’t aligned, our jaw will
compensate by bringing them together. This movement can put painful pressure to jaw joints and surrounding muscles. Eventually, this movement causes
damage to our teeth.

Proper posture makes a healthy back.

Good posture keeps all of your body parts supported and balanced. When your body slumps, your spine does too. This can cause your vertebrae to deteriorate
over time. By practicing proper posture, you’re preventingmuscle
aches and back pain – all while keeping your spine in check.

Good posture = increased confidence = bigger smile.

Not only do you look more confident when you stand up straight, you feel more confident. A recentstudy
found that when you stand in a posture of confidence, your hormones respond accordingly. Good posture can also generate positive thoughts and increased energy levels. And finally, one last bonus: Proper posture can make you look 10 pounds slimmer!

Think of yourself as pasta and cook yourself backwards. Go from limp noodle to uncooked noodle with these quick posture tips:

If standing, your ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles should all line up. Double-check your stance by using a mirror.

If sitting, your hips should line up with your ears. If you’re looking at a computer, your eyes should be level with the
center of the screen.

If you need a quick posture fix, pull your shoulder blades back and down.